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This invention relates to gaming systems, and more particularly, to managing data stored on storage devices in a gaming system and displaying information regarding stored data to a user of the gaming system.
Gaming systems currently available on the market are capable of playing game discs, music CDs, and movie DVDs from a disc drive. For example, the Playstation(copyright) 2 gaming system from Sony Corporation provides the ability to play games, music, and video titles from a disc inserted in the console. These gaming systems have limited internal data storage capacity. Typically, the internal data storage is used to store system and configuration information, such as the local time, the language preference of the user, and other settings. Other data, such as saved game data and other game-specific data, is generally stored on a memory device that is external to the game console. For example, memory units that are inserted into a handheld game controller store game information for later retrieval by a game console. Existing gaming systems do not contain an internal non-removable hard disk drive for storing saved games and other information.
Current gaming systems often mix user data (such as saved game data) with other system data (such as configuration data) on a memory unit. Generally, the user does not require direct access to system data. Accordingly, the system data need not be presented to the user of the gaming system. Mixing user data with other system data is confusing to the user and creates difficulties when attempting to identify specific user data.
Further, existing gaming systems often use non-descriptive naming conventions for data files, such as saved game data files. Example saved game file names include xe2x80x9csave.001xe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9csave.002xe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9csavegame.axe2x80x9d, and xe2x80x9csavegame.bxe2x80x9d. These example file names do not provide any information regarding the game that created the file, the state of the game when saved, or the date or time when the game was saved. These types of non-descriptive file names are confusing to the user of the gaming system and cause difficulty in identifying a particular saved game the user wants to access.
Microsoft Corporation recently announced its Xbox(trademark) video gaming system that is equipped with a hard disk drive to enhance gaming, and broadband connectivity to facilitate online gaming. With these additions, significant amounts of data (e.g., saved game data from multiple game titles and multiple users of the gaming system) can be stored within the video gaming system using the hard disk drive. This new internal storage capability creates new issues with respect to storing and segregating different types of data on the hard disk drive. Further, data associated with a particular game title should be protected from inadvertent or intentional corruption by another game title or application.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved system for managing data in a gaming system that includes an internal data storage device, such as a hard disk drive. Additionally, there is a need for an improved system for displaying information regarding data stored in the gaming system.
A gaming system includes a hard disk drive for storing various data. The gaming system applies a storage hierarchy to the hard disk drive to prevent unauthorized access to data stored on the hard disk drive. The hard disk drive is segregated into different logical regions such that each region stores a particular type of data and has specific data access policies. Each application that executes on the gaming system has an associated storage area for storing its data. Application programs are prevented from accessing data stored in a storage area associated with a different application program. When saving a game, the saved game data may include a graphic representation of the state of the game when the game was saved, a descriptive name of the game status or game state when the game was saved, and a date and time that the game was saved.
In the described implementation, the gaming system includes a game console and one or more controllers. The game console is equipped with a processor and a non-removable hard disk drive coupled to the processor. The game console may also include a memory, a portable media drive configured to communicate with a storage disc, one or more portable memory units, and broadband connectivity. In other implementations, the hard disk drive is configured to store game data, audio data, and video data